Spoken Word

Let me tell you about two powerful warriors you may or may not have heard about. Both of them stood in a moment that will define the rest of their lives. Both of them encountered someone bigger than themselves standing over them. But how they responded — that's where the story split wide open.

Four kings had rolled through a land like a freight train with no brakes. They snatched up cities, snatched up people, snatched up even the first warrior's own nephew, someone he loved like a son. And this man, a tent dweller, a guy with more camels than soldiers, went after them with only three hundred and eighteen men against vast armies. This looks more like a suicide mission on paper. He won nonetheless. And on his way home, dust still on his sandals, victory still warm in his hands, he met a supernatural-looking stranger carrying bread and wine.

This stranger blessed the warrior, telling him that his victory was because the Most High God was with him. And this warrior, who knew he had just won a battle he couldn't have won ordinarily, took one look at the stranger and handed him a tenth of everything he conquered. This second powerful warrior, in contrast, had lots of armies, and nations around him feared him. After a puzzling encounter, this great king was left deeply troubled.

Then a young man emerged from obscurity, declaring that there is a sovereign King far greater than any earthly ruler, a God who knows all things and can reveal even the deepest mysteries. This young man said to the prideful king, "Remember the message you received that no one knows about? El Elyon revealed it to me last night. Here is the message, and here is what it means." This powerful king marveled at the revelation and acknowledged that El Elyon truly is a great King.

He recalled a message he'd received from El Elyon through a prophet a while back — that he would be given the wealth and spoils of Egypt as compensation for his exhausting thirteen-year military campaign against the city of Tyre. But that realization only lasted a little over twelve months. After he built a great city which people from far and near came to admire, they marveled at his wisdom and power, and that got to his head. One day, looking out at everything he built, he said out loud, "Look what I built with my own hands." The next thing we know, this man, the most powerful man on earth at the time, is out on a field on all fours, eating grass like a cow.

And after seven long years, he came back to his senses. He lifted his eyes up, blessing the Most High God out loud in front of everyone who once held him in the highest esteem. You may have recognized who these characters are. The tent dweller was Abraham; the priest with the bread and wine, Melchizedek. The king who traded his throne for a pasture, Nebuchadnezzar. The young man who told Nebuchadnezzar his sacred dream and its meaning was Daniel. And the prophecy Nebuchadnezzar recalled was from Ezekiel.

The moral of the story is that it took a king eating grass for seven years to learn what a tent dweller figured out with a piece of bread and a cup of wine — that El Elyon is the Most High God who compares to no one, living or dead.

But here's the thing people generally get twisted. Some hear "Most High, possessor of heaven and earth," and in their mind they think of someone who micromanages every action and decision. Others, on the other hand, say, "If He is truly in control, why is there evil in the world?" and conclude that He must not be one hundred percent in control of anything.

Hear me now. God is sovereign. He is the Most High God. He is in control of everything. El Elyon is not a micromanager, nor is He a laissez-faire master. Imagine the CEO of a Fortune 500 company who has the authority to directly manage a frontline clerk if he chooses to, but typically will not. He honors the structure he put in place, where the employee reports to a supervisor, the supervisor to a manager, and so on up the chain of command — while the CEO can step in at any moment.

Now picture a sports car that can do two hundred miles an hour, cruising slowly through a neighborhood at twenty-five. That car did not lose its power; the driver simply chooses not to abuse it. Or think about the smartphone in your hand — the manufacturer could lock it anytime they wanted to, but they let us choose how we use it, offering guidance while leaving the choice to us.

That's how El Elyon operates. He is in control over His creation, but He has delegated authority to man, and He won't infringe on man's will. There is a difference between inability and the choice not to overstep.

There is a danger in swinging to either extreme — assuming all control, or abdicating control altogether. Those who place excessive confidence in their own ability to control every outcome often drift into pride and frustration. Scripture warns us that pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). On the other hand, those who believe they have no control over anything often slip into a victim mentality, waiting passively instead of stewarding the responsibility God has already entrusted to them.

Biblical wisdom calls us to reject both self-reliance and helplessness, but to trust in God's sovereignty while faithfully stewarding what He has given us. God's sovereignty does not mean we have no say — He even invites us to reason with Him (Isaiah 1:18). Likewise, having a say does not mean we are sovereign. Abraham didn't fold his arms wishing what was taken from him would return; he trusted God while marching at the enemy. "The battle is the Lord's" (1 Samuel 17:47) is not a call to abdicate responsibility — it means that when we fight, we do so conscious that victory comes not by our power nor might, but by the Spirit of God. Being prayerful and diligent at the same time — that is the right stance for every believer.

God remains completely sovereign while still handing us meaningful responsibility. He owns everything — "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof" (Psalm 24:1) — and He created man in His own image and commissioned us to steward the earth (Genesis 1:27).

When life gets uncertain, when economies shake and circumstances feel like they are closing in, remember that nothing surprises El Elyon. There is still a throne above every throne you see. When our ways please Him, He blesses us and surrounds us with His favor (Psalm 5:12) — but favor is God's prerogative; it is triggered when He is pleased, and it cannot be demanded, only received. Like Abraham, let us be humble and recognize God's sovereignty over every circumstance. Be assured that there is a mighty, awesome One (Jeremiah 20:11) who is higher than all — higher than governments, higher than kingdoms, higher than sickness, higher than every power of darkness. His name is El Elyon, the Most High God.

Shall we pray? Father, we acknowledge You as El Elyon, the Most High God. We gladly submit ourselves to Your authority, for You alone are worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. Teach us to trust in Your sovereignty in every circumstance. Help us rest in Your unfailing love, with confidence that You are working all things together for our good and for Your glory. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen.